Salvia plant named ‘Endless Love’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Salvia  plant named ‘Endless Love’, characterized by its compact, upright and outwardly spreading plant habit; strong and vigorous growth habit; freely flowering habit; and violet blue- colored flowers.

Botanical designation: Salvia hybrid.

Cultivar denomination: ‘ENDLESS LOVE’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Salviaplant, botanically known as Salvia hybrid and hereinafter referred to bythe name ‘Endless Love’.

The new Salvia plant originated from an open-pollination during thesummer of 2006 of Salvia verticillata ‘Purple Rain’, not patented, asthe female, or seed, parent with an unknown selection of Salvia, as themale, or pollen, parent. The new Salvia plant was discovered andselected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within theprogeny of the stated open-pollination grown in a controlled environmentin Hummelo, The Netherlands during the summer of 2007.

Asexual reproduction of the new Salvia plant by softwood cuttings inHummelo, The Netherlands, since the summer of 2007, has shown that theunique features of this new Salvia plant are stable and reproduced trueto type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Salvia have not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature and light intensitywithout, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Endless Love’. These characteristicsin combination distinguish ‘Endless Love’ as a new and distinct cultivarof Salvia:

-   -   1. Compact, upright and outwardly spreading plant habit.    -   2. Strong and vigorous growth habit.    -   3. Freely flowering habit.    -   4. Violet blue-colored flowers.

Plants of the new Salvia can be compared to plants of the female parent,‘Purple Rain’. Plants of the new Salvia differ from plants of ‘PurpleRain’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Salvia are more compact than plants of        ‘Purple Rain’.    -   2. Plants of the new Salvia are stronger than plants of ‘Purple        Rain’.    -   3. Plants of the new Salvia and ‘Purple Rain’ differ in flower        color as plants of ‘Purple Rain’ have purple-colored flowers.

Plants of the new Salvia can be compared to plants of ‘Rhapsody inBlue’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 15,148. In side-by-sidecomparisons, plants of the new Salvia differed from plants of ‘Rhapsodyin Blue’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Salvia were more compact than plants of        ‘Rhapsody in Blue’.    -   2. Plants of the new Salvia and ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ differed in        flower color.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new Salvia plant, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which accurately describe the actualcolors of the new Salvia plant.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view oftypical flowering plants of ‘Endless Love’ grown in an outdoor nursery.

The photograph at the top of the second sheet is a close-up view of atypical inflorescence of ‘Endless Love’.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet is a close-up view of theupper surface of a typical leaf of ‘Endless Love’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

Plants used for the aforementioned photographs and following descriptionwere grown under conditions which closely approximate commercialproduction conditions during October in an outdoor nursery inLisserbroek, The Netherlands. During the production of the plants, daytemperatures ranged from 12° C. to 22° C. and night temperatures rangedfrom 1° C. to 12° C. Plants were one year old when the photographs anddescription were taken. In the following description, color referencesare made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2007 Edition,except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Salvia hybrida ‘Endless Love’.-   Parentage:    -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Salvia verticillata ‘Purple Rain’,            not patented.        -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Unknown selection of Salvia, not            patented.-   Propagation:    -   -   Type.—By softwood cuttings.        -   Time to produce a rooted young plant.—About two months at            16° to 22° C.        -   Root description.—Main roots, fine; lateral roots, fine;            white to dark brown in color; moderately dense.-   Plant description:    -   -   Type.—Herbaceous perennial.        -   Form.—Upright and outwardly spreading plant form; uniform            broad inverted triangle; flowers arranged in upright            verticillasters on spikes.        -   Branching habit.—Freely basal branching with plants            developing about 27 flowering stems.        -   Growth habit.—Moderately vigorous.        -   Plant height.—About 54.1 cm.        -   Plant width.—About 51 cm.        -   Lateral branch description.—Length: About 26.8 cm. Diameter:            About 4 mm. Internode length: About 6.3 cm. Strength:            Strong. Aspect: Mostly upright. Texture: Densely pubescent.            Color: Close to 144C tinged with close to 178A to 178B.-   Foliage description:    -   -   Arrangement.—Opposite, simple.        -   Length.—About 10.2 cm.        -   Width.—About 7.6 cm.        -   Shape.—Ovate.        -   Apex.—Broadly acute.        -   Base.—Cordate.        -   Margin.—Crenate to serrate.        -   Texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Densely pubescent;            slightly rugose.        -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.        -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 144A.            Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 146B. Fully            expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to 146A to 146B;            venation, close to 148B. Fully expanded leaves, lower            surface: Close to 147B to 147C; venation, close to 146D.        -   Petiole length.—About 4.2 mm.        -   Petiole diameter.—About 4 mm.        -   Petiole texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Pubescent.        -   Petiole color, upper and lower surfaces.—Close to 177A to            177B.-   Flower description:    -   -   Flower arrangement and shape.—Single bilabiate flowers            arranged in terminal verticillasters; flowers face mostly            outwardly.        -   Flowering habit.—Freely flowering habit, about 180 flowers            per inflorescence in about 22 whorls.        -   Natural flowering season.—Continuous flowering during the            summer in The Netherlands; plants will reflower after            removal of the flowers.        -   Flower longevity on the plant.—About five days; flowers not            persistent.        -   Fragrance.—Not detected.        -   Flower buds.—Length: About 7 mm. Diameter: About 3.5 mm.            Shape: Obovate. Color: Calyx, close to N77B to N77C;            corolla, close to N89C.        -   Inflorescence size.—Length: About 22.5 cm. Diameter: About            2.5 cm.        -   Flowers.—Size: About 2 mm by 6 mm. Depth (height): About 1            cm.        -   Petals.—Arrangement: Two, fused at the base. Length, upper            lip: About 8 mm. Length, lower lip: About 1.5 mm. Width,            upper lip: About 6 mm. Width, lower lip: About 1.5 mm.            Shape, upper lip: Broadly elliptic; apex, rounded to retuse;            margin, entire. Shape, lower lip: Spatulate; apex, lobes            obtuse; margin, entire. Texture, upper surface: Smooth,            glabrous. Texture, lower surface: Sparsely pubescent. Color:            Upper and lower lips, when opening and fully opened, upper            surface: Close to 90B; towards the base, close to 90D. Upper            and lower lips, when opening and fully opened, lower: Close            to 90A; towards the base, close to 90D.        -   Sepals.—Arrangement: Five sepals fused into a tube. Length:            About 7 mm. Width: About 1 mm. Shape: Narrowly elliptic.            Apex: Acute. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower            surfaces: Pubescent. Color: Immature and mature, upper            surface: Close to 148B. Immature and mature, lower surface:            Close to N77B to N77C; stripes, close to N79C.        -   Peduncles.—Strength: Strong. Length: About 21.7 cm.            Diameter: About 2.5 mm. Aspect: Erect to about 30° from            vertical. Texture: Pubescent. Color: Close to 144C tinged            with close to 178A to 178B; in between verticillasters,            close to N79A.        -   Pedicels.—Strength: Strong. Length: About 4 mm. Diameter:            About 0.75 mm. Aspect: About 30° from vertical. Texture:            Pubescent. Color: Close to N79A.        -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per flower: Two;            anthers dorsifixed. Filament length: About 0.1 mm. Filament            color: Close to 90C. Anther shape: Broadly ovate. Anther            length: About 0.5 mm. Anther color: Close to 199A to 199B.            Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color: Close to 6A. Pistils:            Quantity per flower: One. Pistil length: About 8 mm. Stigma            shape: Cleft, two-parted. Stigma color: Close to 79A to 79B.            Style length: About 6.5 mm. Style color: Close to N88A to            N88D. Ovary color: Close to 145A.        -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed.-   Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Salvia have not been    noted to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Salvia.-   Garden performance: Plants of the new Salvia have exhibited good    tolerance to rain and wind and have been observed to be hardy to    USDA Hardiness Zone 5 and to tolerate high temperatures of 30° C.

1. A new and distinct Salvia plant named ‘Endless Love’ as illustratedand described.